Tanum and Alec: The Two Tookish Fallohides
by Army Boots
Summary: Before the Shire and Bilbo and well before Frodo, there were two hobbits that Gandalf would always remember, or could simply just not forget. This is my first LORT fan fiction on the site; any and all reviews are welcomed so long as they are respectful!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"It's amazing to see how many of you there are," Gandalf announces as he rests he tired old bones onto the bench beside Frodo. The old wizard's knees nearly hit his chest, yet he is determined to sit next to the young hobbit. Frodo looks at him, a polite smiles stretching on his lips.

"You say that like you remember when we first stepped foot into the Shire," Frodo laughs.

Gandalf's eyebrows furrow and he looks down at the young man. "And who's to say I don't?" Frodo's jaw slacks as he lets out a small laugh. "I remember many things, Frodo, many things."

Frodo purses his lips and lowers his own brow. "How old _are_ you, Gandalf?"

"Older than you think." Gandalf leans back and reaches into his robe pulling out his pipe. He bites down on it and then strikes a match. "I remember when your uncle was only a boy... I remember when his grandfather was a boy, and _his_ father's father was a boy." The wizard removes the pipe from his mouth. "And—," he leans forward, "—I had just as much grey hair and wrinkles as the day I met the man as I do now."

Frodo smiles and nods. His eyes look over The Hill and then across The Water and fixate on the horizon. "So Ferumras I was the first hobbit you encountered—,"

"Of course not! Did I say that?" Gandalf laughs. The man lowers his eyes to the pipe's bowl and then he bites down on the pipe's bit while thumbing the bowl. "I don't remember the first hobbit I met," he admits with a sort of shame in his scratchy voice. "I do know it was around the time I went by another name... but to be completely fair, there were much more important things to remember in those days."

Frodo places his hands in his pockets and looks to his feet. "Who was the first hobbit you remember?"

"There were two of them," the old man smiles. "Both of them had only half the wit of a child." He lets out a soft laugh. "They were quite the characters."

"What were their names? Where were they from?" Frodo asks, straightening his back and removing his hands from his pockets.

"Hmm," Gandalf hums as he bites on his pipe. "Alec and Tanum, I do believe." He shakes his head, "Back in those days no one seemed to have surnames like Baggins or Gamgee or Brandybuck or Proudfoot—,"

"Proudfeet!" a voice calls out from afar.

"Or even Took for that matter," Gandalf shrugs with the words. His eyes look down at Frodo. "Tanum and Alec; simple and easy to remember."

"What were they like?" Frodo queries.

"Oh, not quite like the hobbits of today, but not so different that you wouldn't recognize them. Tanum was like most little hobbit boys and girls; he loved to play games, laugh, and celebrate. He was particularly fond of Stone Trolls, though. He thought they were the most interesting things he had ever heard of. Alec, on the other hand, was more on the wilder side of hobbits. He loved the idea of adventures—mind you, they both did, but Alec more so. And—as long as Tanum was by his side—he had little to no fear of anything.

"They were from the Valley of Anduin," Gandalf remembers. "Curious young lads—they used to go deep into Mirkwood and play their little games. Dangerously adventurous for hobbits, if you ask me."

"You remember you were the one to take my uncle on an adventure to slay a dragon, don't you?" Frodo laughs.

"For the time," Gandalf announces, "it was unheard of for hobbits to do such a thing—at least alone. Not to mention, they were young, younger than yourself—if I remember correctly." The wizard take a deep breath. "I remember meeting them like it was yesterday..."

* * *

Two young hobbits race through the valley. Songs are sung and dances are danced, though, these boys pay no attention to such a thing for they have plans of their own. The younger one—though not much younger—runs a hand through his hair, pushing back the golden locks that flow from his head and into his face. He laughs and twirls as his older brother tries to keep up. They hear a few other hobbits yell and question where they're off to, but neither of them take the time to answer, they're far too busy with their race.

"Tanum, slow down; I just had elevenses," the older boy huskily hollers. His sides cramp slightly at the exertion, but he continues the hurried pace.

"So did I!" Tanum calls back. He jumps over a rock and laughs as he hears his brother, Alec, murmur something under his breath. "Where are we going?" he questions, still not willing to have Alec lead the way.

"Remember that grove we found yesterday?" the hobbit breathes, "The one where we pretended that tree was a giant ready to devour us?"

"Yeah," Tanum nods.

"That's where!"

And with that, the two hobbit boys quickened their pace and continued on into Greenwood the Great, Mirkwood for those not quite so familiar. Alec finds he moves faster on the forest floor than anywhere else, and yet Tanum finds the odd shadows and strange animals a little too unsettling. They bring their pace down to a leisurely stroll, no longer needing to run from potential hobbits keeping them back.

"What are we doing today?" Tanum asks, looking up at the trees as an unseen bird caws.

Alec puts his hands into his trouser pockets and shrugs. "I don't know," he sighs. "Maybe climb that tree like we said we would—,"

"I bet we could see the Misty Mountain up there!" Tanum exclaims. His hands fly up as he speaks, "What if we see a dwarf?" The boy's blue eyes widen at the thought.

"I doubt any dwarf would want to come to this forest. They like caves and mountains far too much for this kind of place." Alec wipes his nose and flatten his lips. "Maybe we might see another elf—,"

"Oh, that would be lovely—do you think they'll sing for us?" Tanum squeaks with delight.

Alec takes a long breath and crinkles his nose. "No," he says flatly. The trees are dense for a long while until finally the area opens up into a small circle of open grass. With excitement overpowering them both, they begin to run faster than their big feet can keep up with.

As the boys race into the grove, Alec decides this is the perfect time to start their game. The young hobbit stops in the centre of the opening and turns behind, glaring at Tanum menacingly. His hands rise up and ball them into tight fists as he sets his legs shoulder width apart. You see, Tanum and Alec were far too odd for other young hobbits to play with them. While they wanted to pretend to be warrior heroes, the others wished to play games that required less heart pumping adrenaline. In fact, they were often excluded from the others when it came to celebrations of name days and festivals. Had their mother known what they were doing outside their small village, perhaps she would have taken them by their ears and sent them to go and play with their more leisurely cousins—which would, in turn, cause the boys to sit on the grass and watch as the other children made up riddles and picked flowers in the valley's meadow.

Tanum slides on the dirt as he catches the sight of his brother. He raises his arms up high above his head and begins stomping on the ground. "I am Hugh, the great and evil Stone Troll!" he hollers in a deep voice, mimicking what he thought was the voice of such a troll.

Alec drops his hands to his side and he shakes his head. "You can't be a Stone Troll, Tanum—,"

"Why not?" the hobbit cries out in a wine. Being a Stone Troll was his favourite part of the game.

Alec's right hand rises to his forehead, his index and thumb touching his brow. "Stone Trolls turn to stone in daylight."

"What's the problem?" Tanum shrugs.

"It's morning! That's the problem!" Alec calls back.

Tanum marches to his brother's side. "Then we can pretend it's night," his voice is low and the boy barely recognizes it as his own.

"Or," Alec lips in the same tone, "you can be a different monster—what about a goblin? You look enough like one!"

Tanum's mouth gapes open. Anger floods through his tiny body and, soon, the boy has pounced onto Alec in a brawl of grunts and yelps as they roll on the forest floor. "I do _not_ look like a goblin!" Tanum hollers and then yelps as Alec grips the boy's blonde curls.

"Yes you do!" Alec growls, rolling on top of his brother. "Your father _was_ a goblin!" he teases as strawberry blonde strands curtain his eyes.

Tanum rolls back to the top and straddles Alec. "My father is you father!" The boy's round face rushes at his brother's. "If my father was a goblin, that means yours was too!"

As the boys growl and bark back at each other, a curious being hears their ruckus. The old man had been on the road off on his way for quite a while, but the cries and yelps of the boy's has put his own ambitions to rest and roused new ones. He climbs up the hill before the trees and grips the skirt of his robe, careful not to trip as he steps over fallen branches that snag on his grey robe.

It does not take long for the man's ancient eyes to fall on the pile of arms and legs flying and wrapping around each other. It had been far too long since he had last seen such beings that he stood there bewildered. He watched watched them, studying carefully and pondering what in Middle-earth these children could be—and more importantly—why they were fighting.

Alec lets out a cry of pain as Tanum looms over his brother after a guttural hit. "I told you I was a Stone Troll!" He smiles triumphantly.

"If you are a Stone Troll then I am the King of Eagles," laughs the old man in a booming voice. Tanum's eyes land on the tall, old man and suddenly his smile is gone. Quickly, he pulls his older brother up and whispers in his ear something not even a mouse could hear and then he points with a shaky finger to the man.

Alec turns slowly and gasps. Not often had the hobbits seen Big People in these parts, nor did they _wish_ to see their tall looming figures. Alec steps in front of Tanum protectively and lowers his head timidly. "Pardon me sir, but these areas here are restricted," the boy recites as his mother had advised the boys to do if and when they came into contact with the Big People. She had made both he and Tanum repeat it each and every time they stepped out of the village—which was more or less each and every day.

"Unless you're an elf," Tanum adds in a loud voice, incapable of controlling the volume due to his nervousness. There is a pause and then Tanum questions in a small voice that rises nearly an octave, "Are you an elf?"

The old man leans on his staff and keeps his silence. Finally his mouth opens and he speaks. "What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for an adventure!" Tanum answers, dismissing his nervousness.

"Oh," says the man as he straightens. "What kind of adventure?"

Tanum steps forward and away from Alec. "The kind where we can hear the beasts of night howl at the moon!" The boy throws his head back and releases an ear-shattering howl. "Where big nasty trolls try to eat us for snacks!"

"And where we fight evil lords and prevent them from taking over the homes of the weak!" Alec pipes up, forgetting to be cautious, and uses an imaginary sword to stab Tanum who lets out a grunt and then falls to the grass.

"Oh my," the old man whispers. He scratches the back of his neck and looks up to the leafy sky. The man mouths for a moment, releasing airy hums and grunts and then he shrugs. "Where is your clan?"

"Not here," Alec responds, not willing to give the direction of his home. "Hobbits don't like it when the Big People visit." Gandalf nods his head remembering the shyness of the small creatures. Though he feels his presence unwanted, he continues to loom in the grove.

"He's a wizard, Alec," Tanum says in a hushed tone as he pulls his brother to his side after standing from the ground. He eyes up the tall man and then turns back to Alec "Look at him—can't you see it?"

"He's an old man, Tanum. What makes you think he's a wizard?" Alec rolls his eyes and rests his hands on his hips. Alec was never one to quickly judge especially when his brother was the one making the accusations.

Tanum's lips flatten and his nostrils flare. He shakes his head. "He's a wizard!" he argues in a whispered holler. "Just look at him!" The young hobbit nods his head off the old man's way with excitement. "He has a long, old face, big, bushy eyebrows—look!" He pulls Alec closer by the collar of the poor hobbit's shirt. "Look at his pointy hat!" Tanum shivers, and shakes his head. "Don't look at his pointy hat..."

The two whisper amongst each other and then finally Alec brings his voice to a more audible volume, "What's your name, old man?"

The old man strokes his long, white beard as if thinking on the question and then he begins to hum as he tries to speak. "Gandalf," he finally answers with a sure nod.

"Ha!" Alec turns to his brother. "What kind of wizard name is that?" The young hobbit smacks his brother's back and lets out a howl of laughter, keeling over with each breath. Tanum glares at Gandalf, though whenever the old man's eyes fall on the boy, Tanum feels the need to remove the gaze from the man and onto the grass beneath his large, hairy feet.

"I assure you, your little friend there is right," says Gandalf, pointing a long thin finger at Tanum while looking at Alec. Suddenly the laughter has stopped and Alec seems rather shocked though his brother feels a large smile grow on his lips. "I am a wizard," Gandalf says, now with a more limber voice and less drawl.

Alec's lips part and fear embraces him. Back home he had been told stories of old wizards in the forests. One story went into great detail about ones who preyed on little hobbit boys and girls. Wizards had an inexplicable taste for leathery, young, hobbit toes—or so Alec was told. He grips Tanum's wrist and furrows his brow trying his best to appear intimidating—which is hard when you are barely the height of a small wild boar.

"You best leave now, wizard. No hobbits' toes are being sucked on this day," Alec says in a low growl, his brow casting a shadow around his eyes making them appear dark and dangerous.

"Ho, ho, ho, ho," Gandalf laughs, which startles both boys. He leans on his staff and shakes his head with a smile. "Who in Middle-earth told you that kind of thing?" Gandalf straightens, his wrinkles deepening as he tries to speak with out a titter, "A wizard sucking on the toes of hobbits? That's preposterous!"

Tanum, only now remembering the horrid stories, takes a step back on the forest floor. His heart is pounding in his chest as he fears the old wizard really does wish to snack on the hobbit's little toes. "My feet should taste horrible!" he hollers in a shaky voice. "I've been walking in mud and grass—and other things you would wish for me not to go into detail about!"

* * *

"They thought you were going to eat their toes?" Frodo smiles at the thought. For him, wizards were never something to be feared—well, all but Saurumon.

Gandalf nods surely. "Oh yes, so much so that they took off into some tree." He rubs under his eye with the knuckle of his forefinger. "Hobbits were just as fearful of the Big People as they are now. Though—," the wizard shakes his head with a slight frown, "—Alec and Tanum _were_ Fallohides..." The man lets out a scratchy hum as he bites down on his pipe. He speaks through the right side of his mouth, "Fallohides were adventurous, yes—but terribly shy of Big People."

"How did you get them down from the tree if they were so scared, Gandalf?" Frodo asks, turning his body towards the wizard as curiosity plagues the hobbit—a very Tookish trait.

The wizard lets out a light laugh and shrugs. "I offered them mushrooms, of course."

* * *

**AN: As you can see, this is an original story... if one can really say a fanfiction is original. Anyway, if you see anything that is wrong, be it spelling or with the story, let me know. **

**Reviews are always more than welcomed!**

**~Boots**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry for the interruption, but I would like to thank the three who put in a review for last chapter.**

**Thank you a great deal, it made my day(s)!**

**Chapter Two**

"What do you mean you have mushrooms?" Alec hollers down as he hunches over his knees to get a better look at the man. Even with the fear of being eaten, the thought of biting into a nice, juicy mushroom made Alec's mouth water and mind numb ever so slightly.

Tanum looks up at his brother who sits on the branch above him. The hobbit's hand rests on his belly as it growls and groans. "Alec," he calls in a soft voice. Alec's green eyes look down at the pale faced boy. "I'm hungry," Tanum whispers as if it is some kind of terrible thing—which it was at the time for a hobbit's hunger was a fierce fire to put out, especially with the knowledge that food was around. Alec was hell-bent on staying up in that tree until the nasty, old wizard was gone, and he was not quite willing to allow himself and Tanum spare their toes for a simple mouthful of mushroom.

Gandalf takes a deep breath, his patience running thin. He plants himself on a rock and opens up a cloth relieving big, thick, and juicy mushrooms that hobbits could only dream of finding. Tanum, unwilling to let the mushrooms be devoured by the wizard alone, takes a step down to a lower branch.

"What are you doing?" Alec calls down with a glare that could shatter glass. "Tanum," he whispers loudly, trying to get his brother's attention. "Tanum!" The young hobbit looks up at his brother as he himself has reached the last high branch of the pine tree. "Don't be a _took_! He's using the mushrooms as bait!"

Tanum looks up at Alec and for the moment, he seems to be at a crossroads between his fear and his belly. "I am _not_ a _took_!" he cries out. Yes, Tanum was indeed a _took—_to the very definition of the word—though he never liked to admit it. Often times the other hobbits—including his aunts and uncles and mother and father and, occasionally, even Alec—would call the poor boy a _took_, meaning fool or simpleton in Hobbitish.

"Then prove you aren't and come back up here this instant!"

"What have I got in my pocket?" Gandalf questions loud enough for both the hobbits to hear. The wizard reaches into his ragged robe and brings out a beautiful, fluffy, perfectly baked seedcake. Both boys stare down with jaws slacked and mouths watering. Though mushrooms were indeed their favourite food—all hobbits' favourite for that matter—seedcake was most definitely on their list of beloved delectables.

Tanum licks his lips and looks back up at his brother. He shakes his head. "Better start calling me Tanum the Took!" And with that, the little hobbit drops from the last high branch and onto the pine-needle infested ground. He quietly and cautiously approaches the wizard, hoping not to disturb the man. Gandalf, knowing better than to make a fuss about the boy, simply grins and continues on with his meal.

Alec watches with wide eyes as his brother slowly creeps closer and closer to the man. A shriek catches in his throat as the wizard turns himself into the direction of Tanum. Terrified, Alec stays in the tree but lowers himself enough to be able to help Tanum if the wizard decides hobbit toes would best quench his appetite.

"Would you like some mushrooms?" Gandalf asks, dropping the cloth of cake and bring the one with mushrooms far enough out for Tanum to reach for one. Tanum's hand instantaneously reaches but he pulls it back shyly before he touches the meaty fungus's skin.

He holds his hand at his chest and furrows his brow. "Are you going to eat my toes?"

Gandalf huffs, "Do I look like I am interested in eating nasty, little hobbit toes?" His brows furrow. "I would rather eat the bark off a tree than do such a thing."

Tanum nods and hesitantly reaches out once more. Once his fingers grip the stem of a mushroom, he quickly pulls his hand back and smiles. Though it was the size of his palm, to the wizard, the mushrooms were but only a mouthful each, sometimes two.

"Have a seat, you're making me nervous," Gandalf commands, though he being nervous was more than a lie. The young hobbit does as told and drops from his feet and onto his bottom. He stretches out his legs and wiggles his toes as he happily munches on the mushroom.

Above in the tree, Alec watches with outrage. Had the stories their grandfather told them not gone through to Tanum's thick skull? Ever so quietly, Alec descends. His feet silently touch the grass and he hides behind the tree, watching closely as the wizard pops another mushroom into his mouth.

"Have you ever tasted hobbit before?" Tanum asks, still hung up on the subject.

Gandalf continues to chew and then answers slowly, "_I_ have never, but I once knew a man who liked to eat the tails of wargs." Tanum makes a face of disgust. "He made wonderful carpets from their pelts too," Gandalf adds as he hands a piece of seedcake to the boy. Tanum bites happily into the cake and smiles with a mouthful at the wizard in a way of saying thank you. "Now—," Gandalf smiles, dusting his beard free from crumbs, "—that friend of yours, is he a relative?"

Tanum shrugs. "He's supposed to be. We're twins."

Alec continues to observe the wizard, still not sure on whether to trust the man. He leans on one of the tree's risen roots and keeps his head low, careful to keep from Gandalf's view. Suddenly, Tanum turns his head part way to the risen root and hollers, "He knows your there, Alec. He could hear you from a mile away!"

Alec lowers quickly, flashing his teeth in a scowl. Tanum, even for a hobbit, had particularly good hearing, though he, himself, didn't think so. The young hobbit would simply say the world was much louder when you were quiet. Alec would laugh and tell Tanum that he never kept his mouth shut long enough for the world to be loud, to which Tanum would have a silence competition and inadvertently lose.

"Come on Alec," Tanum waves him over, "have some seedcake with us, the mushrooms are all gone."

Alec, now knowing full well his presence has been noted, begins to climb onto the root. He stands there for a moment, taking in the world from the new height, and then he climbs down to the other side. He hesitantly walks midway to the two, looking as if he would flee at any sudden movement.

"Gandalf is a nice old wizard, Alec," Tanum announces in a very proper voice, nodding his head with each word. "You should be ashamed of the way you reacted—I know I am!" the young hobbit huffs before popping another bit of cake into his mouth.

Alec's hands cup each other and his head lowers. He takes three more steps near. "I guess I..." he nearly whispers, "_did_ overreact..." Tanum agrees with a nod as he turns back to the wizard. "Wizards don't really eat hobbits, do they?" Alec asks, taking two more steps near.

"Uh, err, none that I know of, no," Gandalf answers. He reaches into his robe and takes out a long pipe. He packs the bowl with tobacco and then strikes a match. "Judging by your looks, you must be Fallohides, correct?" he asks through the side of his mouth. Tanum nods as his brother seats himself. "Hmm..." Gandalf puffs on the pipe and narrows his eyes as he thinks. He then cocks his head in a curious manner. "What are two young hobbits doing so far from their clan?"

"Who's to say we're far from our clan?" Alec shrugs as he takes a piece of the seedcake slice in Tanum's hands and pops it into his mouth.

"I have been walking along the road over there for quite some time, boy. Not once did I think a hobbit was near," Gandalf claims as he draws the pipe from his lips and shoots smoke out like a dragon. The boys are all eyes as they see the smoke transform into the shape of a butterfly. It flashes from grey to purple and then blue, all while flapping its smoky little wings above the hobbits' heads.

Alec shakes his head and furrows his brow as the butterfly dissipates in the air. "Why were you on the roads?"

"Travelling, of course," the wizard replies vaguely.

Alec sighs and looks to his brother hoping the boy would have something to say. Tanum, however, does not; he is far too busy licking the last crumbs of the seedcake off his fingers. "Where were you going?" Alec enquires.

"Wherever my feet would take me," Gandalf nods with a chuckle. "You're quite the curious thing, aren't you?" Alec lowers his head with slight embarrassment.

"Have you ever been on an adventure, Gandalf?" Tanum pipes up, wiping his hands on his trousers. Alec and the wizard both turn to the boy, startled by his sudden wish to join in conversation. Gandalf brings the pipe to his mouth and nods. "Really," Tanum squeaks with excitement. "What was it like? Did you fight dragons? Did you see goblins? What about trolls—are they really as big as they say they are?"

"Twice the size and then some," Gandalf answers with a smile. He thumbs the bowl of the pipe and draws in more smoke.

"Would you be able to show us one?" Tanum asks in a sweet voice. Alec smacks his brother's side making the boy make a sour face.

* * *

"You took them on an adventure?" Frodo laughs, his voice showing his disbelief.

Gandalf purses his lips and narrows his eyes. "Not intentionally," he defends. "I was rather shocked, it's not every day that you meet a hobbit who wishes to go out gallivanting—little lone _two—,"_

"What do you mean _not intentionally_?" the hobbit snorts as he continues his tittering.

Gandalf packs new tobacco into the pipe and smiles. "I tried my best to convince them it was not a good idea. When that didn't work, I told them they were simply too young." He shakes his head and looks out to the horizon. "Even when all hope seemed lost at keeping them in the safety of their lands, I told them I was too old and that I was incapable of looking after them."

"Did they listen?"

The wizard shakes his head and strokes his beard. "They told me I wouldn't have to look after them—that they were completely capable of watching themselves."

Frodo crosses his arms. "What happened after that?"

"The devils they are dragged me to their village," Gandalf replies. He shakes his head with a smile. "They told me I had to tell their mother where I was taking them."

* * *

This is completely unnecessary!" Gandalf barks breathlessly. "I am not taking you boys anywhere, there is no need for me to tell your mother anything!"

"Tanum slow down!" Alec hollers ignoring the wizard's words as he grabs Gandalf wrist, quickening their pace. Tanum was far too excited to walk at the sluggishly slow speed; he wanted to be the first to bring the news. The boy hops out of the last few bushes and lands in the meadow before their village, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hurry up!" he hollers with a swing of his arm, impatience burning a hole in him. Tanum sees some of the other young hobbits staring at him inquisitively. He returns their stares with a nod and a smile making them all go back to what they were doing before he jumped out of the woods.

Alec is the next to jump out, though he more or less rolls out, having tripped on a weed. He sits on the ground and glares up at his brother. "Gandalf is an old man, he can't move as fast as you!" he growls as he stands, dusting himself free from dead leafs and grass.

"Where is he?" Tanum asks, clasping his hands together as he looks to the brush. Both Alec and he stand there for a long while, waiting for the wizard to appear. "How far behind was he?" Tanum finally says, breaking the silence between the two.

"Well..." Alec scratches his head. "He was right behind me. He told me to go through first so I would flatten some of the grass for him."

Tanum turns to his brother and his lips part, afraid to ask the same question that has been smouldering in Alec's mind. He brings his hand to his mouth and draws in a quick breath. "Do you think—,"

"No—,"

"It's possible, isn't it?"

Alec furrows his brow. "I don't think Gandalf is the kind of man to do—,"

"He _is_ a wizard—,"

"But he wouldn't just leave," Alec argues. He turns back to the brush and then looks back at his brother, wincing. "Would he?" Tanum shrugs to his brother's question. Suddenly, Alec jumps back into the brush and Tanum follows close behind. Had they known this was going to be their last time in the village as boys, perhaps they wouldn't have left so abruptly. Maybe they would have given their mother a kiss and bid their father a goodbye, but, to the boys, finding the wizard was all that mattered.

* * *

**Reviews are always more than welcomed!**

**~Boots**


End file.
